What One Stands For
by Raindagger60
Summary: The New Age of Pirates is here. Two years after the war one man decides to form a crew and set out for the New World where adventure and danger are equally plentiful. Will they survive or just be more victims taken by the cruel seas? Note: First chapter explains origins. Disclaimer: I don't claim to own any thing in this story other than OC's and a few Devil Fruits.
1. Prologue

What One Stands For

Prologue: A Coming Storm! The Power of the Gale-Gale Fruit!

My father was a shop owner and a smith. He crafted swords and made a modest living out of it. He also excelled at wielding a sword. He taught me what he knew and I expanded upon that. I was ambidextrous so I could wield a sword in both hands. We lived on a small island consisting of a village and a port. Due to the nature of small islands everyone knew everyone and we were all friends. When I was little, my mother was killed when marines and pirates broke into conflict in our village. I never found out if it was pirates or marines and I didn't care. I was raised to let go of my anger and not let it rule my life. Eventually pirates came back and started collecting money from shop owners. We just paid in fear of destruction and everything went smoothly. One day though, everything changed.

The pirates came to our village and started ransacking houses and taking everything. We lived far enough away that we caught word before they got to our place. My father instantly ran inside and brought out a chest and a long rolled up piece of cloth. He unrolled the cloth and two sheathed swords rolled gently onto the floor. One had a decorated white hilt and the other a decorated black hilt. The blades were exact twins. "Son these have belonged in our family for a long time. I need you to take them and run." I stared in disbelief. "But what about you father?" I asked. He opened the chest and pulled out a piece of fruit with swirled markings on it. "I'll be fine." He replied. He raised the fruit to his mouth to take a bite. I felt the bullet fly by my head and saw it hit my father in the shoulder before I heard the gunshot. The fruit rolled to my feet. "Agh!" My father cried out in pain as blood spouted from the wound. I picked the fruit up. "Eat the fruit!" The fruit was about the size of a pineapple. I took a large bite and swallowed. It tasted absolutely disgusting. My father reached into his pocket and pulled out two things. A medium sized brown sack and a gold medallion. "Run to the port and show this to the bar tender at the tavern. He'll know what to do from there. Now run son, run!" I took off running as fast as I could, eating the rest of the fruit and strapping the swords to my back.

I didn't stop running until I got to the port. I ran into the tavern, up to the bar, and threw the medallion on the table. The bartender took one look at it and shouted. "Pirates are on their way get to the ships!" Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and ran out of the tavern. The entire port went into a frenzy as people were running from buildings with anything valuable they could carry. I grabbed the medallion as the bartender led me out to a back room and told me to start grabbing crates and piling them onto this little wagon. "Where is your father?" He asked me. "He gave me these two swords and a weird fruit and told me to run. He stayed behind because he was shot." We got all the crates and pulled the wagon out of the tavern and to the last ship still docked. The port was deserted. All the ships were leaving the docks and harbor as the bartender and I got on the last one. We set off knowing we were the last two people that were gonna make it. The ships started sailing out into open water. "Pirates!" Someone shouted.

The pirates that ransacked my village were back on their ship and sailing on a collision course with a ship full of people from the harbor. I ran up to the helm and knocked the person steering out of the way. I grabbed the wheel and spun it on an intercepting course with the pirates. The bartender ran up to me. "What the hell are you doing kid?" I tightened my grip on the wheel. "I'm not letting anymore people die!" I kept one hand on the wheel and grabbed both swords from my back. "I swear an oath upon these swords that I will not let any more of my friends and family die." I placed the swords back. "Well we aren't gonna stand a chance against them right now. Where is the fruit your father gave you?" The people around the ship were doing their best to prepare for battle. "I ate it." I told him. "That bastard!" he shouted. He ran down to the deck and started shouting orders to people before running back to me. "Okay here's what's gonna happen. We'll intercept the pirate ship and everyone on will board will provide covering fire for you with what firearms we have available. You're gonna have to board the enemy ship and fight." I gave control of the helm to him and unsheathed my swords. "Sounds good, just get close enough and I will take care of it." I ran to the front of the ship and prepared for the confrontation.

"Brace for impact!" I shouted as our ship collided with the pirate's. I jumped onto the pirate's ship both swords in hand. "Hey you're the kid we saw running from that sword shop earlier." A large muscular man with a jacket hanging from his shoulders stepped forward. He towered over everyone and had a large scar on his left breast and multiple smaller scars from what I assumed were bullets and blades. His hair was short and black and he had a deadly look on his face. "How about you hand over those swords kid and we'll think about letting you go." The rest of his crew laughed. "How about you and the rest of your crew pack up and get your asses away from here." I replied. "You got a mouth on you kid! Do you know who I am?" He shouted. "A no name pirate and his crew whose asses are about to be collectively handed to them?" The pirate crew glared at me. Their captain pulled a pistol out and fired at me. I closed my eyes and waited to feel the impact.

I heard a bunch of gasps and opened my eyes. The pirates were all staring at me. The captain fired his pistol again and I saw the bullet fly right towards my chest. I heard the sound of wood chipping and turned around to see two identical bullet holes side by side. "He's a devil fruit user?" One of them asked in disbelief. I took one step forward and the pirates stepped back. "He's just a kid! And I'll prove it!" Their captain jumped from where he was at and landed in between myself and the rest of his crew. "My sword!" he commanded. A large sword was brought forth by two of his crew. He grabbed it with one hand and raised it into the air. "You're going down kid!" He swung at me in a horizontal slash. I ducked into a crouch narrowly avoiding being cut. I felt air rushing around my feet and looked down. A small whirlwind formed around each of my feet. I jumped upwards and the air pushed down launching me higher than normal.

"He's using his devil fruit powers!" I started falling back towards the ship and the pirate captain jumped up towards me slashing his sword. I brought both of my swords in front of my body making an X. The captain's sword connected with both of mine halting our momentum. We stalled in mid-air staring each other down. He pulled his arm back bringing the sword with him before swinging it back at me. I pulled both my arms back to my right side and swung. The clang of metal rang out as both of us sped our swords up trying to go faster than the other and break through the other's defenses. We fell back down to the deck of the ship as we continued slashing away at each other. He swung downward catching me off guard then closed the gap punching me into the stomach and sending me airborne. He jumped at me as I spiraled upward, bringing his sword into a slashing position. He swung at me and caught me in the left hip and cutting all the way to my right shoulder. He stabbed forward piercing me right above my right hip missing my vitals barely. He stabbed forward again aiming to finish me. I brought my swords in front of me into another X catching his sword inches from my chest. I closed them together breaking his sword in half. I made another X and pushed on my swords with all my strength causing the pirate to launch back down and crash through his ship. My swords still in an X shape had wind start to gather around them. The wind spun faster and faster until it looked like my swords were two tornados. I sliced at the ship sending the air rocketing down in an X shaped mark. It hit the ship and nothing appeared to happen. I heard a splintering sound and the hull of the pirate ship split into four pieces dividing where the X hit it. I landed on a portion of the ship that was slowly sinking. The captain climbed onto the portion I was on. "You bastard, I'll kill you!" I sheathed my swords and charged him. I focused as hard as I could, trying to gather wind at my fist. It worked as wind rapidly started swirling around my hand. I jumped toward the captain and punched out connecting with his jaw.

With the connection a burst of gale force wind was released launching the captain off the ship and out into the sea. I stood on the sinking ship looking around. The pirates were in disarray running back and forth panicking. "Hey come on and get back on the ship. You'll drown if you fall into the water." I turned around and saw that the people from the tavern came back around. I jumped onto the ship and we sailed away leaving the pirates there to sink. The bartender walked up to me. "Well kid you did great. You gave us just enough time to make sure the others escaped." He patted me on the back and laughed. "What happened to you guys giving me covering fire?" I asked. "Hey kid you are a Devil Fruit user now, you didn't need it." I looked at him questioningly. "Kid you have the power of the Gale-Gale Fruit. It's a Logia class Devil Fruit. That means you have control over the wind and with a lot of training you can change your molecular structure into wind itself. You are among a very rare group of people known to have the powers of a Logia class fruit. Congrats." He patted me on the back again before returning to the helm. With that we sailed off with the rest of the ships leaving our little island behind forever.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: 7 Years Later! The Eclipse Pirates Form!

I walked into the bar of the pirate controlled port and sat at a table. A pretty waitress walked up and asked for my order. "Give me a jug of whatever is your strongest." I slid her the money and a little extra. "Use the extra and get your favorite and you can join me." I gave her my best smile and she blushed. "Sure thing sir." She giggled as she walked back to the bar. I placed my feet on the table and leaned back in my chair. The waitress came back with two drinks and sat down. "There isn't another chair." She pointed out frowning slightly. I let the chair return all four legs to the ground. "There seems to be a seat on my lap." She giggled and sat down across my lap. She took a drink from her glass as did I. "My name is Damian. What's your name?" I asked her. "Kazumi, my name's Kazumi. So what brings you here handsome?" She asked me. I took another drink and set my glass down. "I'm looking for a ship and a crew. I've just about traveled as far as I can by myself." I thumbed a piece of paper in my pocket. "Maybe you can help me?" She giggled drinking more from her glass. "Maybe, but you need to do something for me first." She finished off her drink and set her glass down. "If you find a crew and a ship you have to promise to take me with you." I smiled slightly. "Why do you want to become a pirate?" I asked her. "I want to see the world and go on adventures and just live a little. There's only so much that goes on in this town." I smiled again. "Fine, if you help me find a ship and a crew you can come with me." She reacted like a little kid hugging and kissing me. "Thank you so much!"

A few minutes later she was changed into her pedestrian clothes and was leading me around town. "I think the hardest thing we will be doing is getting a ship. They don't come cheap you know." We were walking through a heavily populated market area. "Well then we'll go for a crew first. You've been here a while, what can you tell me about the people here?" The people in the market shuffled from store to store, stall to stall and so on. "What is there to say? This place is busy all the time. There are new people in and out of here constantly. Every now and then you get someone who made a name for themselves but that's very rare. Even rarer than that is someone who comes along that has eaten a Devil Fruit. What I wouldn't give to eat a Devil Fruit. Sure I wouldn't be able to swim again but I think it would be amazing to have that kind of power. Sorry I'm rambling. If you want to find people to help you then you have to prove yourself and right now that will be somewhat difficult. It'd be best to just pick up a few odd jobs and get the money for a ship. I'll even throw in my wages from the bar. Most people around town know me so just show up, tell them you know me, and ask for a little bit of work." We walked back to the bar but then quickly left. "Where are we going?" I asked. "Well an inn would take more money then we can afford to lose right now so you can stay at my house." She smiled at the look I was making. "Oh come on. It's ok." I gave in and followed when a thought crossed my mind. "Hey wait right here I'll be right back." I ran to my little one man boat I had tied up at the dock and retrieved my things. I setup a sign that read "Free Boat" and left to return to Kazumi. "Sorry I had to get my things." She noticed the medium sized chest under my arm and asked about it. "That where you keep your treasure?" I laughed "Yeah something like that let's just get back to your place then I want to show you something." We walked back to Kazumi's house. We got there and she opened the door for me to enter. She told me to set my stuff in the corner. I set everything down except the chest. I walked over to her table and set the chest down. I opened it and motioned her over. She looked at what was inside and she gasped.

Three different shaped fruit with different swirl patterns were sitting equal distances from each other. "I've been traveling for 7 years and have come across three Devil Fruits. Some people are lucky to find one. This one on the left I 'liberated' from a Marine ship. The one on the right I was given as compensation for helping a village with a problem they had with some pirates. And the one in the middle I found on an island." She looked in disbelief. "Why didn't you eat any of them?" she asked me. I held my right arm out and wind slowly gathered around it then sped up forming an isolated tornado. I let the air disperse before it ruined her house then answered. "I already have a Devil Fruit power. I ate the Gale-Gale Fruit when I was thirteen. It is a Logia class Devil Fruit that allows me to control wind and air. I do not know what these other three Devil Fruits are though. I don't know their name or classification so I have no idea what powers one would get from eating one. If you really want to, you can eat one. But I ask that you wait until we have our ship and our crew." I closed the chest and locked it. I then placed the key back with the medallion around my neck. "Well I'm hungry. How about you show me where the kitchen is and I'll make dinner." Kazumi showed me to the kitchen and got me everything I needed to make dinner.

Thirty minutes later I had a full meal laid out on the table, seasoned lobster with fresh vegetables on the side. She took a bite and her eyes lit up. "Oh wow this is good." She ate more of the lobster then tried the vegies. "Yeah but trust me this isn't all that good. This reminds me, we need to find a cook while we're here." We ate more of our food in silence. Once we finished I gathered up the dishes and took them to the sink. I washed them then set them off to the side to dry. "Would like anything to drink?" She asked rummaging through a cabinet. "Sure, whatever you have is fine." I replied. She walked over to where I was and grabbed two glasses. She poured the what I assumed was some form of alcohol into the glasses and set the bottle down. She turned to give me the drink and bumped it against me spilling it down my front. "Oh crap! I'm so sorry. It was an accident." I started to take my shirt off. "No worries." I said. She gasped as I set my shirt down. "Oh my god! What happened to you?" She took a timid step forward and reached her hand out. She traced the long scar from right shoulder to my left hip then the scar above my right hip. She slowly ran her finger over both scars multiple times. "I got these in my first real confrontation with pirates. Some crew that ran my island for a while until they decided to take all we have and leave. I fought their captain and this happened. I didn't have full control over my Devil Fruit powers at that time or else I never would have sustained any hits." I looked down and traced the scars myself. Kazumi grabbed my shirt and started scrubbing trying to get the alcohol stain out. After she was convinced she got the stain she hung it up to dry as I grabbed a different shirt from my clothes I had with me.

"So where will I be sleeping?" I ask her. She started blushing. "Well I… uh… only have one bed so…" I realize why she was blushing. "Hey it's fine." I reply. She lead me to her room and showed me the bed. I lie down and fall asleep within minutes. I dreamt of the day my village was attacked. I woke up right when my father was shot. Sun shined through the double windows of the bedroom. I felt the heavy blankets on top of me and the heat from the body next to me. I slowly and carefully got out of bed trying not to disturb Kazumi. I walked into the kitchen and checked her food supply. I found everything required to make breakfast and set to work making it. By the time Kazumi wandered into the kitchen breakfast was set and waiting. "You know I could get used to having someone cook for me all the time." She said smiling. I smiled back as we sat down to eat. "So what's on the agenda today?" she asked in between mouthfuls of food. I swallowed my food. "Find a crew, find a ship, form a pirate gang, set sail! All in that order." I set to my food once more. "Well then I'll get to work at the bar. I'll ask around and get a list of potential people for the crew." I finished off the rest of my food then waited for Kazumi to finish hers. "That's not that bad of a plan. We need a cook, a doctor, a navigator, a shipwright, and I'd like a marksmen or someone who knows their way around a few cannons. Also see about finding a seaworthy ship. I'll go out around town and try to pick up leads myself and see what or who I can find as well." I grabbed my jacket and made for the door.

"That jacket looks old. What's the story behind it?" I froze inches from the door. She detected she had hit a vulnerability. "Sorry I asked. Never mind the question." I turned and walked away from the door. "No it's fine I'll tell you. See I got this jacket a long time ago. The same time I got these scars on my chest and my Devil Fruit powers. This jacket belonged to my father and he let me borrow the day the pirates ransacked our village. I constantly get it refitted and I had it redone to fit the look of a pirate. I know it's what my father would've wanted me to do given the situation. I also got these swords that are strapped to my back. They are family heirlooms passed down for a long time. They mean the world to me." She looked down towards the floor and I noticed tears falling from her face. I walked up close and put my arms around her. "Hey these are my struggles. There is no need to be sad for me. I've come to terms with everything. The only thing I ask of you is that you don't get hurt or die." She looked up to see I was smiling. The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile as well with tears still running down her face. "Okay I promise I won't die." I waited for her to calm down before we left her house and departed for the day.

I walked with her to the bar before we parted ways. I decided to go to the market first to ask around about any off the street activities I could possibly find some people at. I sifted through the crowds looking at the vendors and storefronts for any sign of something more. I checked a few of the shadier looking stores and vendors to no avail. I was almost ready to give up when I noticed a small restaurant with a sad looking man around my age outside. "Hey sir, what's wrong." He turned his head to look at me. "I can't keep my restaurant open anymore and need to close down." He turned back to look at his restaurant and sighed. "Why can't you keep it open?" I questioned. "No business. This town is controlled by pirates. Why would they pay to eat when they could just extort food from the vendors? I just can't make enough money to counter the costs of the food." I pull out a sack of money from one of the coat pockets and toss it to him. "Prepare your best dish for me." His eyes lit up and he led me into his restaurant. "It'll be a little longer since I need to get the stove running." I sit at one of the many tables. "Take your time I got plenty of it." He runs back to the kitchen and I hear the stove roar to life. I look out the windows and see people walking up and down the street. It's amazing how all of this happens and not one person thinks to stop and get some food from a restaurant.

The man came back out to check on me. "Anything else Mr…" I got that he was asking for a name. "Damian, just Damian." I replied. I never noticed until now, due to me wanting to help him but he looked familiar somehow. Was it the brown neat hair? Or maybe the build of his body. It also could be his face, no something about his face…his eyes! The neon green eyes. The same eyes that belonged to that captain seven years ago. I pushed that thought aside. "Other than your name and a glass of water there is nothing much you could get me." His face flushed as he ran to the counter and got a glass out and started filling it. He rushed back to my table and handed me the glass. "My name is Lawrence by the way." I took a drink when the bell rung indicating someone entering the restraurant. We both looked up with my eyebrow raising and his face dropping. A group of five entered the restraint, all male. "Hey Lawrence, it's payday." The one leading them stood firm with two on either side. "Who's the punk paying for food from this dump?" He asked. I stood up and cracked my neck. "This is the reason you can't stay open?" Lawrence gave a weak nod. "Approximately how much longer will my food take?" "Five minutes." He managed to squeak. "But please don't bother they'll just come back." I cracked my knuckles and removed my swords handing them to Lawrence. "I know they'll come back. Hold on to these for me."

I shrugged my jacket off my shoulders. "What is a nobody like you gonna do to me and my crew?" He had his arms spread and I noticed that more people were gathered just outside the windows waiting for someone to make a move. "This nobody is about to put you in your place." I held my right hand out, palm facing up. Wind started to rapidly spin and form into a sphere. "Gale-Gale Storm Spear!" I clutched the orb causing it to form into a spear and chucked it with all my might. "Watch out a Devil Fruit user!" They couldn't move fast enough, and as the spear connected with the leader it exploded sending a large burst of wind outwards shattering the windows and creating a large hole in the center of restaurant's front wall. The one's standing outside were peppered with glass causing a small window of opportunity. "Gale-Gale Dust Cloud." I swung my left arm out and across my body sending out a gust of wind. Dirt, sand, and dust were picked up and thrown into the air causing panic as they lost sight of me. I couldn't see them either but I've always had this wierd ability that lets me sense where people are and I can detect thier movements before they make them. I focused and within seconds knew exactly where each person was. Three knives came soaring from the dust and flew straight threw me. "Projectiles and hand-to-hand combat don't work on a Logia Fruit user." They clearly didn't get the point as multiple gunshots rang out and at least ten bullets flew through me just as easily as the knives. "Didn't you hear me? Bullets are projectiles. Projectiles don't work on me." Two men appeared from the dust swords drawn and slashed, their blades having no affect. "Swords, what are swords? A sharp piece of metal wielded in your hand used for hand-to-hand combat. Who remembers the second thing that is ineffective to Logia Fruit users?" I was toying with them at this point, egging them on so I could finish them off. I decided to try to see if I could finish them off with one of my newest moves I created. I held both hands close together gathering wind and making a small tornado. The wind started gathering faster and faster and the tornado became unstable. It burst apart before I could complete it. "Damn!" I said to myself. I can never fully complete the tornado to use the move. _There has to be something missing. _I pushed it aside and focused on finishing the thugs in front of me.

"Lawrence, my swords!" He threw both of them to me. I unsheathed them and prepared the grand finale. "Two sword style! Gale-Gale Blade, Raging Serpent!" I ran straight towards the group spinning my swords in a circle rapidly, enhancing the already destructive properties of my wind. I jumped and twisted my body, using my powers to help. The twisting allowed me to weave in between the thugs, my swords slashing each and every one of them. I planted my feet onto the ground, sliding to a halt. The thugs fell to the ground bleeding from multiple small cuts all over their bodies. I held back, if I really wanted to they would have been dead. I walked back to the hole I left in the restaurant and sat back at my original table. Lawrence brought the food out right as I sat down. "Ah good the food is here. I'm always hungry after a good exercise." I ate the food and savored every last bite. I've never tasted food that great in all my life. After I finished I wiped my mouth off and stood. "Sorry about the hole but since you were gonna close down it should be all fine." He looked from the hole to me. "Are you kidding? Those guys are gonna kill me when they come back, and they will. They'll wait until you leave the island then come looking for me. I'm a dead man." I laughed. "No you're not. You're my new cook. I need a chef for my crew and you fit all my requirements. And I have a fair amount of treasure saved up so you'll never have to worry about buying lower quality goods again. Plus would you rather run a restaurant in a rundown town where you get bullied and picked on? Or would you rather live on a ship with a bunch of friends who respect you for your job and skills?" I stuck out my hand in show of acceptance. He looked for a moment then grabbed my hand and shook. "Welcome Chef Lawrence. Meet at the bar and we'll depart in two days. That should be plenty of time to gather all your belongings and say goodbye to whoever you need to." I picked up my discarded coat and pulled another bag from my coat and tossed it to him. "And here's for the trouble." He smiled and pocketed the bag as I walked away.

I became well known in a matter of minutes after the little scuffle at the restaurant. I drew many a look and second glances from the crowds as I walked through the streets. I needed to get out of sight and decided to head to the bar earlier than anticipated. I cut down an alley by passing several buildings and people and made a beeline for the bar. I arrived within minutes and pushed the doors open. Kazumi was working the counter and I nodded to her as I took a seat. She walked over and sat down. "Any luck?" she asked me. "Yeah I acquired a cook. He's pretty good, he made me a fantastic lunch and then I blew a hole in the front of his restaurant." I laughed at the ridiculous look she gave me. "Long story." I told her. "How about you? You get any leads on anything?" She pulled a piece of paper out and handed it to me. "This has the names of a few people on it that I've heard about." I opened it and read the names that were written down. "A doctor and a navigator? Good work Kazumi. I'll be sure to check them out." I folded the paper up and placed it in my pocket. "Anything else worth noting?" She looked around then leaned in closer. "Someone was in here asking about you. I didn't see their face due to this cloak they were wearing the entire time. I'd watch yourself if I was you." I smiled not letting her know how much it really got to me. "I can handle myself. No need to worry." I got up from the table and left the bar. _Who the hell was looking for me?_ I put that aside and decided to go after the doctor first.

I sat down at a bench of to the side of the street. As I suspected, minutes later a man with a cloak covering his entire body sat next to me. "Damian?" I stayed staring straight ahead. "Who wants to know?" A moment of silence. "That is not your concern. What your concern should be is how you're gonna get off this island. I was hired to take you out. I decided to flip the script. I am giving you fair warning, you are being hunted down. You may think that since you avoided getting a bounty from the Marines that you flew under the radar. You are wrong; my employer wants your head. That is all I have to say for now." He stood up and started walking away. "Thanks for the info Saddler." He turned around to confront me but I was already gone. If Saddler was here than that meant _he_ wouldn't be far behind. I had to make my next few choices carefully if I was gonna make it out alive.

Saddler was someone who I met a year or two after I left my home town. He was being harassed by a group of marines and I stepped in to save him. We became good friends after that. Eventually the marines came back and we had to separate and leave each other behind. A year later I met up with him again but he was different. He was distant and detached and nothing like the guy I knew. I was on this island trying to take in the leader of this group that was causing trouble for some friends of mine. I went undercover and invaded their base. When I confronted their leader, who was using the alias Seer, I was forced to confront his best member. That member was Saddler. I couldn't fight him; I let my past get the better of me and used my powers to run. I knew he wouldn't be able to beat me but I knew that if I had to I would kill him.

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up to realize I had no idea where I was. I looked around and no one was anywhere in the vicinity. It looked like I wandered into the abandoned part of town. I kept walking forward looking for people. I stepped down an alley way when I got bashed on the back of my head. I stumbled and fell to the ground. I grabbed at the back of my head and felt a warm flow of blood. It had been a while since I've bled. If I would've known that guy was there I could have easily dodged using my powers. I rolled over onto my back to see the guy swinging a brick at me. I tried to dodge but he struck me again. I felt my shoulder rattle as it was struck. The blow to the head must've slowed my reflex's and prevented me from shifting using my powers. I grabbed for my swords and lashed out at the assailant. He screamed in anguish as I cut his chest and leg. I swung again cutting his arm and face. He turned and ran off in terror. I stumbled clumsily through the alleyways and finally made it back to the market in time for my vision to blacken and my body to give in to the blood loss.

I woke up with a throbbing in the back of my head. I felt pressure around my head and right shoulder. I heard footsteps coming closer and then a warm wet rag placed on my forehead. I opened my eyes. I was in a dimly lit room looking into the face of a woman in maybe her 30's. I slowly tried to sit up and she placed on a hand on my chest. "Stay." She commanded. I lowered myself back down. "What happened?" I asked. She looked at me then took a seat next to the bed I was on. "You stumbled into the market then passed out right next to me. I brought you back to my house, stopped the bleeding, gave you a blood transfusion, and patched up your head and shoulder. Your head will be fine but the shoulder will be sore for a week or two and any strenuous activity will damage it further." She gave me two pills and a glass of water. "Take them they will numb any pain." I choked them down and drank some water. "So what's your story?" I asked her. "I was the doctor at the local medical center before it was shut down and you had to get anything you wanted from the people who ran this town. You have been the first person I've treated in ten years. I just want to be useful again." She sounded sad when she finished the last part. I slowly sat up and she didn't stop me this time. "What's your name? Mine is Damian." "My name is Renee." I examined her more closely now that my eyes could focus more on the details. She had shoulder length pure white hair. Her eyes were a stunning orange and she had a small tattoo on her neck. "You want purpose? Join me, I need a good trust worthy doctor and it seems like you know your way around a few different injuries. Plus I know you wouldn't feel right leaving a patient to go out to sea without knowing how he's doing." I smiled my crooked smile and she started to smile to. "I guess you're right. It wouldn't be professional of me to leave a patient to the seas. I'll go with you." I smiled again. "We're leaving in two days so make sure you have everything you need. We'll be meeting at the bar uptown." I tried to get up off my bed. "You're not going anywhere right now unless I go with you." I stood up and almost fell. She smirked at me. "Fine, I need to get to the bar." She looked at me like I was crazy. "I have a friend there who can watch me for the night. Speaking of which how long was I out?" She put my coat over my shoulders. "An hour or two." She opened the door and we walked to the bar.

Kazumi freaked out when she saw me all bandaged up. "What the hell happened to you?" Renee helped me to the nearest table and I sat down with her and Kazumi. "I got lost and attacked. Renee helped me recover and now she's our crew's doctor." Kazumi touched at my shoulder. "Can you bring me a drink Kazumi?" She went to get me a drink. "Thanks for the help today Renee. I think Kazumi can look after me now though." Renee stood up. "It's no trouble. I felt back in the game working on you today but try not to get that beat up that bad anymore." I smiled. "It won't happen again." I smiled and she left the bar. Kazumi came back with my drink and I downed it. "I'm exhausted. Can you take off early? I really think rest would do me some good right now." She took my glass. "Sure I'll be right back." She came back, changed, and we walked back to her house.

When we got back she started dinner and made me take some medicine she had. "It may not be as good as what Renee could get you but it will help you." I took it and sat at the table. "It should be ready in a few minutes. I figured a fast dinner would be best since you want to sleep." I smiled as she brought me some water. "Thanks, this wouldn't have happened if I had full control of my powers." She looked at me questioningly. "I've been told by another Logia user that with enough practice you can keep your powers active at all times. I still can't even pull off half the moves I've created… well I guess am creating since they aren't complete yet. But with enough practice I won't ever be hit again unless I choose to be." Kazumi stepped into the kitchen and checked on the food. She came back out a few minutes later and placed noodles on both our plates. "Eat up." We ate our noodles then she helped me into bed. She placed her arm over my body, snuggled up to my side then drifted off to sleep. Overcome with exhaustion I soon followed.

I woke up the next morning when Kazumi shifted in her sleep. I tried to move but my body was to sore. I decided to lie there and go back to sleep and within minutes I was sleeping again. The second time I woke up that morning Kazumi was coming into the bedroom with a glass of water. I tried moving again and was pleased to find that I could. "How'd you sleep Damian?" I reached up and started to take the bandages off my head. "I slept as well as I could, considering the situation." I set the bandages on my lap and gingerly touched the back of my head. It was swollen slightly and hurt a lot. "Renee dropped off some medicine at the bar this morning and told me to make sure you get it by noon." "What time is it?" Kazumi smiled. "Noon." I blinked a few times. "Shit I never over sleep." She laughed. "Yeah you probably never get beaten either." I took the pills and water from her. "No I haven't. All that's left is a ship, navigator, shipwright, and a marksman right?" I swallowed the pills and finished off the water. "Yeah that's all. By the way I think I've found a ship. As soon as you're ready we'll head to the docks and check it out." I swung my legs over the bed and stood up. "Give me like five minutes." She left the room leaving me to get changed. I put on a fresh pair of clothes and grabbed my jacket. My right shoulder was still extremely sore and I winced putting my jacket on. I opened the door and walked out to the kitchen where Kazumi was waiting for me. "Let's get this ship." I told her.

We left her house and walked to the dock. The crowds were not nearly as large as they were yesterday. "I looked the ship over," Kazumi started, ", but I figured I better let you check it out before I make any decisions." We walked past multiple ships of great size and power by the looks of the battle scars. "So where is this ship?" I questioned. She pointed towards the end of the dock. "Down that way, not much further though." We passed a few more ships and came to the end of the dock where a large ship with a blank sail was docked. There was a man on the deck scrubbing away. We walked up the gangplank and onto the deck. "You two here about the ship?" The man asked standing up. He was dressed in a tank top and shorts and was drenched in sweat which glistened off of his bald head. He had a scar over his left eye but the fact it didn't look glassed over told me he could still see just fine. "Yeah we are actually. However much it is we can cover it." He leaned back stretching out. "Well I can't let just anyone take this now. I've put too much work into this ship." I raised my eyebrow. "You're a shipwright?" I asked. "Yeah, what of it?" He asked back. "I'm looking for a ship and a shipwright. And I'm thinking that if I double whatever you were thinking you'll be on board." He raised a brow at me. "You can pay for that?" He stepped towards the edge of the ship and started talking to himself. "A lot of money and I get to stay with my masterpiece." He turned back towards me and stuck out a calloused hand. "You got yourself a deal. The name's Gerard by the way." We shook. "Damian, be at the bar tomorrow and we'll depart." He went back to scrubbing the deck as Kazumi and I left.

Kazumi sat down at the table with me. The bar was unusually busy today and packed wall to wall. "So we need a navigator and a marksmen right?" She asked checking a list she made. "Yeah, then we can set-" A scream from outside interrupted our conversation. I ran outside readying my swords but when I burst through the doors there was nothing but a statue of a man with his sword raised made out of ice. The streets were deserted and no one was around to tell what happened. "Strange." I sheathed my swords and a slow stream of people started forming a crowd. Kazumi appeared at my side. "Let's get out of here." I told her. We quickly walked away from the crowd. "I wonder what that was all about." Kazumi said. "I don't know," I replied, "but it was really strange. Let's just get the rest of our crew so we can set out tomorrow." We walked into a deserted town square and sat next to the fountain.

"Hey are you the guy who's gathering up a crew?" I turned towards the voice and saw a man and a woman maybe a year or two younger than me. "Why do you ask?" I questioned him. He reached for a pistol at his side and I reached for one of my swords popping it from its sheath slightly. "Do you really want to do that?" I asked him. He kept reaching for his side so I popped my other sword from its sheath slightly and used my powers to cause wind to rapidly blow in all directions. He pulled a pistol and fired at me but the wind threw the bullet off course causing it to imbed into the ground feet from me. The woman looked around at the surroundings then spoke. "He's a Devil Fruit user with the ability to control wind. The wind is approximately moving at twenty-seven knots and moving in all directions. Aim North, North West and forty-five degrees from the ground." The man obeyed, adjusted his aim and fired. I couldn't follow the bullet with my eyes and the wind which is my ally was about to become my enemy. I felt something click in my head and spun to the right bringing my sword up. It felt as if time slowed, I saw the bullet inching towards me. I swung my sword slicing the bullet right down the middle, the two pieces flying off to my sides. My senses returned to normal as I turned back towards the two strangers. The man returned the pistol to his side. "My name is Xavier and this is my sister Talia. We heard about a man going around town gathering up a crew and thought we'd see your skills for ourselves." I let the wind die down to nothing more than a slight breeze. "We want in. My sister is a top notch navigator and I can fire just about anything I'm given with almost perfect accuracy." I looked them over. "Why do you want to come with us?" I asked them. Talia answered. "Why not? We live in the new age of pirates. If you're not a pirate you're a marine, and who wants to be a marine? The seas are calling and we're here to answer." I started laughing. "Good answer. My name is Damian. We're meeting at the bar tomorrow and then we'll head out to sea." We all shook hands then left. I turned towards Kazumi. "Well it looks like we're ready Kazumi. We're heading out to sea!" I wrapped an arm around her and we walked back to her house.

I helped her pack everything up that she wanted to take with her and we hauled it to the ship. It took four trips to get everything to the ship taking up a good two hours. We placed it all below deck and examined the ship. There was a kitchen, bath/showering room, a gym to keep in shape, two large rooms with multiple beds, and one separate room with a very large bed. "I believe we found the captain's room." I chuckled. It was hard to believe that the ship, which didn't look very large, had so many rooms. I placed my chests in my new room and then we left. We cooked dinner back at her house then went to sleep so we were well rested for the next day.

We woke up and went to the bar and waited. Xavier and Talia showed up first followed by Gerard then Lawrence and finally Renee. They all had bags and boxes of different sizes with them. We took the largest table and sat down. "Well it looks like we are all here. We all have different reasons but want the same thing. We want to go out to sea and explore the world. Well now we have that chance." I grabbed the bag I had slung over my shoulder and pulled a large folded piece of cloth from it. "From here on out we are known as the Eclipse Pirates!" I unfolded the flag and placed it on the table. The moon half covering the sun was depicted on the flag. "If all of you are ready we can set out." We grabbed the flag and all the bags and boxes and walked to the docks. Everything got loaded onto the ship and we hung the flag from the crow's nest. "Let's set sail for the New World!" I shouted

Gerard lowered the main sail and I helped us along by conjuring up a wind current. "There shouldn't be this much wind." Renee stated. I smiled remembering that both Gerard and Renee weren't aware of my powers. "I ate the Gale-Gale Fruit. It's a Logia class that allows me to control and turn into wind." I told them. "Speaking of which, after we get out to open ocean and get our heading there's something I want to show you guys." Talia placed her log pose on her wrist and Gerard took the helm. "Hey Damian there's a ship coming our way. Its sail has a giant eye like symbol on it." Xavier informed me. I froze. _How can Seer be here?_ "I'm going below deck. They'll hail you down, stop for them or they will turn aggressive. Most importantly I'm not here." I opened the door and closed it right behind me before sitting on the steps. I sat in absolute silence for what felt like forever. After what I assumed was a few minutes I heard a knock on the door and then Kazumi's voice. "They're gone you can come on out." I opened the door and stepped back out into the light. I propped myself up against the mast. "Who were those people?" Renee asked. "Yeah they asked about you but we told them you were still on the island so we now have a good day or two lead on them." Lawrence added. I took a deep breath. "The symbol was the icon of Seer. He's the leader of a powerful organization and I kind of made an enemy out of them. They aren't that dangerous alone but they have connections with the World Government. We shouldn't be seeing them for a while now though." I sat down next to the mast. "So do we have a heading?" I asked Talia. "If my log pose is right we should be on our way to Sabaody Archipelago." She said. "Isn't that the place where the Straw Hat Pirates caused an uproar two years ago along with the Supernovas?" Gerard asked. "That'd be the one." She answered. "Well we are far enough out now and we have our heading so I think now would be the time to show you guys what I wanted to." I went to stand up when the door leading below deck opened and a man stepped out. He was carrying a folding chair and footstool in one hand and my chest that had the Devil Fruits in it in the other.

"I believe you mean this." he said sliding the chest over to me. He was wearing a blue bandana and a dark blue trench-coat along with black pants, black cowboy boots and a white deep V-neck shirt. He carried a knapsack on his back and had curly black hair. He had on round green sunglasses and his face donned a thin mustache and a beard. He looked to be in his late forties if not early fifties. "Who are you?" I asked readying my swords incase violence broke out. "Wow calm down everyone. I'm just looking for a ride and maybe a group of people to travel along with for a little bit." I scowled. "You didn't answer my question." He looked around at my crew like he was gauging our threat level. "You guys won't last long in the New World if that's where you're headed. Trust me I've been there. Being here in the first half of the Grand Line will seem like paradise when you finally get there." I unsheathed both swords. "Still not answering my question." We all took up offensive stances and readied for a fight. The man sighed. "None of you could even be close to my level, but since I am tagging along on your ship I might as well introduce myself." He unfolded the chair and sat down, resting his feet on the stool. "My name," he started, "is Kuzan."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Stowaway Revealed! Kuzan's Story!

"Kuzan?" I questioned. Kuzan remained where he sat. "That's right." He replied. "You said you've been to the New World so why are you back in the first half of the Grand Line?" Kazumi asked him. "Personal business." he replied. "Fair enough, but how did you even get anywhere seeing as you're not part of a crew?" Xavier retorted. "I use to use my bicycle but now my friend Camel, a super penguin, helps me." He answered like it was normal to ride a bike across an ocean or have a super penguin friend. "Your bicycle and a super penguin?" Renee asked. "You've eaten a Devil Fruit haven't you?" I added. "That's the only possible way you could ride a bike across the ocean." In response Kuzan reached for his left leg. He grabbed the bottom of his pant leg and pulled it up. I, along with everyone else gasped. About half his leg was made entirely from, what appeared to be, ice. "Wait a minute." Gerard interrupted. "Only one person in the world can have the power of a single Devil Fruit at a time. And I know for a fact that the power to control ice belongs to Admiral Aokiji of the Marines!" I instinctively grabbed my sword at the mention of the words Marine and Admiral. I watched as Kuzan let his pant leg fall back down to its place. "Former Admiral of the Marines. I'm no longer affiliated with them in any way." He responded. "Now would anyone care to get me a drink?" He stuck his hand out like he was expecting a bottle to magically fall from the sky.

"Lawrence, do me a favor and go get me a bottle of whatever you suggest. And the rest of you can go get your rooms setup to your liking and go about your own devices. I'll take care of our 'guest'." I leaned up against the mast as the rest of my crew went below deck leaving me and Kuzan the only two above deck. I stared at the former Marine Admiral whose hand was still outstretched. Lawrence came back up a minute later with a bottle of sake. He brought it over to me. "Thanks Lawrence. Dinner is your call by the way. Start whenever you're ready." Lawrence turned to go back below deck. "No problem Damian, I'll be setting up the kitchen if you need me." I waited until he was below deck before resuming the conversation with Kuzan. He still had his hand outstretched. I walked up to him and placed the bottle in his hand. "Thank you." He said uncorking the bottle and taking a drink. I rolled my eyes. "So care to explain what you're doing on my ship?" He set the bottle down and put his hands behind his head. "Well to explain that I might as well start from the end of the war that took place at Marineford."

"Sengoku, the now Ex-Fleet Admiral, nominated me to become the next Fleet Admiral after he stepped down from his position. He fully supported me to become the next Fleet Admiral, but the upper brass of the World Government supported and nominated Sakazuki, you probably know him as the new Fleet Admiral Akainu. We entered into a fight-to-the-death on Punk Hazard. After ten days of constant battle he got the better of me. I was broken and defeated, severely scarred, and missing half my leg. Sakazuki took pity on me and let me live even though I should've rightfully died. After that I resigned my position as Admiral and left the Marines. I serve under the idea of 'moral justice' and Sakazuki's view of 'absolute justice' was not something I could follow. After that I spent the next two years going about my own business eventually ending up here trying to get back to the New World. So, does that answer your question?" I mulled his story over in my head as he took another drink of his sake. I had heard of the appointing of the new Fleet Admiral and that was really the only thing I could go on. "Say I do believe you, what then?" He got up from the chair, folding it back up, and placing it in the corner along with the footstool. "Then you let me tag along for a while. I just need to get back to the New World. The way I see it you let me sail with you for a while and in exchange I can lead you to the New World and train you to master your Devil Fruit powers." I really didn't have a choice in the matter seeing as if he wanted to he could easily beat me and demand we take him along. _He can also help me master my powers. Maybe then I'll be able complete those moves._ "Feel free to sail with us as long as you like Kuzan." I told him through gritted teeth. He smiled and took another drink from his bottle. "Thank you for allowing me on your ship captain. We can start your training when we get to Sabaody Archipelago"

Kuzan went below deck leaving me the last person out in the sunlight. I took up the helm and kept the ship on the course Gerard and Talia had determined earlier. The wind died down so I "encouraged" it to pick back up. The water was smooth, the winds were right, and we were on our way to the New World with an Ex-Marine and a crime lord after us. I finally started feeling that sense of adventure I've longed for. The happy faces of my crew flashed before my mind and finally ended on Kazumi's face. _Yeah this is what I've been searching for._ I thought to myself.


End file.
